Oktoberfest

Early 19th Century

Map of the outskirts of Munich and Randling. The map shows the meadow of Teresa, 1812

The first Oktoberfest was held on October 12, 1810 in honor of the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig (future King Ludwig I) and Princess Theresa of Saxon-Hildburghauz (named after the meadow where the holiday takes place). In honor of the wedding on October 17, there were also horse races. For this reason, different sources call different dates for the first Oktoberfest (October 12 and 17).

In 1813, the holiday did not take place, since at that time Bavaria was drawn into the Napoleonic wars ^[5] .

Initially, the holiday was organized and held in private. In 1819, the organization and management of the holiday was given to the city council of Munich. It was decided that Oktoberfest will be held every year without exception ^[3] .

From the middle of the 19th century.

In 1850, a statue of Bavaria , created by Ludwig Michael Schvantaler and Leo von Klenze, appeared on Theresa’s meadow.

Due to cholera epidemics, the holiday was canceled in 1854 and 1873. In 1866, the holiday did not take place because of the Prussian-Austrian war , and in 1870 because of the Franco-Prussian war ^[5] .

In 1872, the Oktoberfest was first moved to the end of September - the beginning of October, because at this time the weather in Munich is more comfortable than in mid-October. In 1904, the final decision was made to postpone the holiday to the end of September, but the last Sunday of the holiday was to be in October. This tradition has been preserved to this day ^[6] .

In 1881, the first roasting chicken was opened, and in 1892 beer was first served in the now familiar glass mugs. At about the same time, the tents in which the beer was sold took on the look they have now. At the time of the early Oktoberfest, tents had even more dancing grounds, a bowling alley and other attractions. All this was brought out to give more space to visitors and musicians ^{[3] [7]} .

In 1886, Oktoberfest was electrified. The work was carried out by a firm owned by Albert Einstein's father ^[8] . According to the newspaper Abendzeitung , Albert Einstein himself participated in the electrification, who screwed the light bulbs in the tent of Shottenhammel ^[9] .

From the beginning of the 20th century to the Second World War

In 1901, an entire Bedouin village with its inhabitants was put on display at the festival. Then, before the advent of television and the spread of cinema , it was a sensation ^[10] .

In 1910, Oktoberfest celebrated the centenary. On this occasion, 1.2 million liters of beer were sold. In 1913, the largest tent in the history of the holiday was set at 12,000 places ( Bräurosl , now has about 6,000 places; the largest tent today - Hofbräu-Festhalle - has about 10,000 places).

From 1914 to 1918, the Oktoberfest was not held due to the First World War . In 1919 and 1920, the Oktoberfest was renamed the “Autumn Festival” ( Gerbstfest ). In 1923 and 1924, the celebration had to be abandoned due to hyperinflation in Germany ^[5] .

With the coming to power of the National Socialists were associated and changes at the Oktoberfest. The demonstration of various malformations practiced at the festival for decades was banned. The races , which until then had more and more faded into the background, were resumed. In 1936–1938, the Bavarian blue and white flags decorating the holiday were replaced with Nazi flags with a swastika ^[11] .

From 1939 to 1945, the Oktoberfest was not held due to the Second World War . ^[five]

Post-war time

From 1946 to 1948, only the Autumn Festival was celebrated again. The bottling of this “Oktoberfestovsky beer” was banned - visitors had to be content with permitted low-alcohol (<2%) beer ^[5] .

Since 1950, there has been a tradition of starting a holiday with twelve shots from the cannon in the sky, as well as opening the first barrel of the festive beer by the Mayor of Munich with the characteristic exclamation “O'zapft is!”. This tradition was laid by Ober-burgomaster Thomas Wimmer. It took him 19 blows to open the barrel, which is still the worst result ^[12] . The minimum number of strokes (1 in total) was needed in 2006 by the city's Ober burgomaster, Christian Ude ( him. Christian Ude ) ^[13] .

Since 1960, begins the influx of foreign tourists at Oktoberfest.

In 1980, as a result of the terrorist attack at the main entrance to the Oktoberfest, 13 were killed and over 200 visitors were injured. The terrorist, right extremist Gundolf Köhler , also died during the explosion. However, this terrorist act did not lead to the cancellation of the holiday ^[5] . According to the results of the official investigation, it is believed that he acted alone, but there are still doubts about the correctness of the official version ^[14] .

The terrorist acts of September 11, 2001 did not lead to the cancellation of the Oktoberfest ^[5] , although this possibility was seriously discussed by the organizers. In a sign of solidarity with the victims of the terrorist acts, the organizers refused to leave the tents and uncorking the first barrel to go to the ceremony. Festive fireworks were also canceled. At the holiday additional security measures were taken. The total contingent of police forces was increased to 400 people, video surveillance was installed. In tents, usually popular among American visitors, additional control was introduced. In 2001, about 15% of American tourists abandoned reserved places in hotels and did not come to the feast ^[15] .

Beer Tent Host Procession

In 1887, Theresa's meadow was outside of Munich. The owners of tents and attractions for the first time made a joint departure from the city to the meadow in order to open the holiday together. Since then, the procession of the owners of beer tents ( him. Einzug der Wiesnwirte ) is the official opening of the holiday. In recent years, the procession is led by the Mayor of Munich on a celebratory sled and the symbol of the city, a Munich child ( Münchner Kindl ). The procession is accompanied by beer stalls orchestras. Holiday parades of all beer tents of the festival take part in the procession. Carts are set barrels of beer , which is served in the appropriate tent. The procession passes through the center of the city and ends in the meadow of Teresa ^[16] .

Opening ceremony of the first beer barrel

Driving a tap into the first beer barrel ( German Fassanstich ) occurs after the procession of the owners of beer tents, at exactly 12:00. In the tent of Schottenhamel-Festzelt, the incumbent chief mayor of Munich drives a faucet with a special hammer into the first barrel of Oktoberfest's beer. This action is performed with a characteristic exclamation “O'zapft is!” (Translated from Bavarian - “Uncorked!”), After which the Oktoberfest is considered open ^[17] . The opening of the first barrel is a sign for the owners of all the tents that beer spilling and selling it to visitors is allowed. Traditionally, the first mug of beer receives the Bavarian Minister-President ^[18] .

Each year, it is expected with impatience how many strokes the acting burgomaster will need to open the barrel ^[19] . Christian Uhde achieved the best result in 2006 by opening the barrel with one stroke ^[20] . The worst result was shown in 1950 by the Mayor Thomas Wimmer, who took 19 hits. It was the first year when the tradition of opening the barrel was introduced by the ober burgomaster. According to the tent owner Schottenhamel , the tradition arose by chance when his grandfather, Michael Shottenhamel, talking to Thomas Wimmer, did not have time to end the conversation during the march of tent owners. Then the ober-burgomaster asked what he was going to do next, and found out that the opening of the first barrel was planned. After that, the idea was born that the burgomaster could take on this responsibility, which was done ^[12] .

Costume parade

A costume procession ( Trachtenumzug ) was first held in 1835 in honor of the silver wedding of King Bavaria Ludwig I and Princess Theresa. In 1895, the next march took place, in which 1,400 participants participated in 150 groups. The procession has been held annually since 1950 and has become one of the most important events of Oktoberfest, as well as one of the world's largest parades of this kind. On the first Sunday of the holiday, about 8,000 people dressed in historical and national costumes pass along a 7-kilometer-long route from Maximilianeum (the building of the Bavarian Parliament) to the meadow of Teresa. This procession is also led by a Munich child, followed by representatives of the municipal government and the government of Bavaria, usually the minister-president and his wife. The procession involved orchestras, shooting societies, societies of national costumes and about 40 festively decorated teams. Most of the groups and societies come from various Bavarian regions, but there are also representatives from Austria, Switzerland, northern Italy and other European countries ^[21] .

At the Oktoberfest, all Munich breweries are represented with their tents: Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu , Augustiner , Paulaner , Hacker-Pschorr , Hofbräu and Löwenbräu . In accordance with the rules of the Oktoberfest, only Munich beer brewed in accordance with the Munich beer purity law of 1487 and the German beer purity law of 1516 can be poured at the celebration ^[22] . For visitors open 14 large and 15 small tents.

Due to the frequent overflow of tents in recent years on the websites muenchen.de and oktoberfest.de , the so-called Luga barometer ( Wiesnbarometer ) is available, showing the fullness of various tents ^{[23] [24]} .

Big beer tents

Oktoberfest is known to the whole world for its huge beer tents (or beer pavilions), each of which accommodates up to 10,000 people. From year to year, all of them are managed by the same entrepreneurs ( German Festwirt ). Often this is a family tradition, passed down from generation to generation.

Augustiner-Bräu

An important feature of the Augustiner tent is that they still pour beer from real oak barrels there, while all the rest of the brewery switched to using metal barrels, only lined with planks outside ^[25] .

Fischer-Vroni

Tent for 2 695 places inside and 700 outside. Until 2006, it was much smaller, since 2006 rebuilt. Present at Oktoberfest since 1902. In the tent you can try a Bavarian delicacy - fish (usually trout ), baked on a stick ( German: Steckerlfisch ). Like in the Augustiner tent, beer is served here from real wooden barrels. There is an interesting tradition associated with this tent: every second Monday of the holiday, representatives of sexual minorities gather in it. The tradition exists under the name Prosecco-Wiesen ^[26] .

Hofbräu-Festzelt

The Hofbroy brewery tent with 10,000 seats is the largest beer tent at Oktoberfest (6,518 seats and 1,000 standing places inside, as well as 3,022 additional seats in the garden) ^[27] . Since 1980, she has been managed by the Steinberg family. During this time, significant structural changes were carried out in the tent. Today in the Hofbräu tent, for example, 12 centners of hops are used as decorations. The tent covers an area of ​​7000 square meters. During two weeks of the festival, 550,000 liters of beer are drunk in it, 70,000 chickens, 5,500 pigs and 8,500 servings of pork sausages are eaten ^[27] . In 2005, the tent was slightly expanded and made a completely new facade.

It is the worldwide fame of Hofbräuhaus beer that is why the Hofbräu tent is by far the most popular beer tent for tourists and celebrities ^[28] .

Key facts about big tents

Small tents

In addition to large ones, there are also small tents at Oktoberfest, with less than 1000 seats.

At the festival there are many attractions - from the traditional carousel , where you can ride for more than eighty years, to ultra-modern structures like "roller coasters". Below are some of them:

Olympia Looping

• Olympia Looping - roller coaster with a length of more than 1,250 meters, on which visitors turn upside down five times per trip.
  • The maximum overload acting on visitors is 5.2 g .
  • Construction height - 38.5 meters.
  • The maximum speed is 100 km / h.
  • The attraction can cater for up to 3,000 people per hour.
  • The attraction was opened in 1989 ^[31] .

Ferris Wheel

• The Ferris wheel appeared on Oktoberfest for the first time in 1880 and had a height of 12 meters. Since 1978, it has a height of 50 meters, its capacity is 192 people and a mass of 540 tons ^[32] . Ferris wheel allows visitors to explore the surroundings from a sufficiently large height. In sunny weather you can see the Alps from it. ^[32]

Euro Star

Euro Star is a roller coaster that is the largest mobile ride of its kind in the world. The length of the route is 2,769 meters. Operated at Oktoberfest from 1995 to 2007. Sold to Moscow , where in the fall of 2008 they were established in Gorky Park ^[33] . The attraction is replaced by Alpina Bahn - a similar attraction of a smaller size by the same company ^[34] .

Alpina Bahn

Alpina Bahn - roller coaster , replacing the Euro Star attraction sold to Moscow at the Oktoberfest. The total length of the route is 910 m, maximum speed - 79.6 km / h. Up to 5 trains with 20 passengers can simultaneously be on the track. The attraction has no elements where passengers turn upside down and therefore suitable for families with children. During the trip, passengers experience a state of weightlessness for 2 seconds. Alpina Bahn is the largest mobile roller coaster in the world without elements of a coup. The attraction was first presented to the public in 1987 under the name Achterbahn, in 1994 it was last time at the Oktoberfest, then until 2007, the larger Euro Star attraction of the same company was presented instead. In 1998, the design was changed and the attraction was renamed “Alpina Bahn” ^[35] .

Power Tower II

The world's highest mobile free-fall simulation tower. The height of the tower is 66 meters, the fall rate is more than 79 km / h. In 2001, Power Tower II replaced the previous similar tower - the 55-meter Power Tower. ^[36]

Flea Circus

• An unexpected and quite popular attraction is the flea circus , which has been present at the Oktoberfest for more than 50 years ^[37] .

The main drink of the holiday is specially brewed Oktoberfest beer , which can be purchased only at this time of year. It is aged longer than the usual light beer, has a pronounced malt taste and strength from 5.8 to 6.3% ^[38] . However, visitors can taste various wines , including young ones, as well as spirits, cocktails and, of course, non-alcoholic drinks. Fried chicken is very popular as a beer snack (in Bavarian “Hendl”, “handle”). Usually served polkuritsy - ( he. Halbes Hendl , "halbes Handl"), huge pretzel ( him. Brezn , "Bretzn"), white Munich sausages ( him. Weisswurst , "weisswurst"), potato ( him. Kartoffelsalat , "potato salat" ) and cabbage salads, as well as pork ham ( him. Schweinshaxe , "Schweinshacks"), skewered bulls and fish baked on a stick ( him. Steckerlfisch , plug) ^[39] .

Swipe

Oktoberfest is considered the biggest holiday of its kind in the world. ^[one]

About 6 million people visit it every year. The area of ​​the meadow Teresa, where it passes, is 26 hectares . About 70% of visitors are residents of Bavaria. A lot of visitors from Italy ^[40] and other members of the European Union , as well as from the USA , Japan , Australia ^[41] . In recent years, residents of Russia and other countries of the former USSR have come ^[42] .

Time and duration

The holiday has a long history of holding. Since 1872, it begins in September. ^[6] Saturday is traditionally the first day, due to which the duration can vary greatly (on average, 16 days). The holiday ends on the first Sunday of October. If it falls on October 1 or 2, the holiday is extended until October 3 (the day of the unification of Germany ).

Below is the calendar of the Oktoberfest until 2018. An agricultural exhibition is held in parallel on the Theresa meadow every four years ^[43] .

Oktoberfest in numbers

• Oktoberfest is visited annually by about 6 million visitors who drink about 6 million liters of beer and eat 500,000 fried chickens ^[45] .
• Oktoberfest employs 12,000 people ^[46] .
• The holiday offers 100,000 seats for visitors. ^[45]
• Six breweries have the right to take part in the celebration - Spaten (Spaten), Augustiner (Augustenner), Paulaner (Poulainer), Hacker-Pschorr Л härkär-Pshorrärne, Hofbräuhaus (Hofbräuhauz), Löwenr Л Л Л Л Л Лk Лk 5 million liters of beer (6.1 in 2003). ^[46]
• Holiday turnover in 2006 amounted to 449 million euros ^[47] .
• In 2006, the guests of the festival spent more than 500 million euros on staying in hotels and public transport . ^[47]
• The price of a liter of beer, as a rule, increases every year. So, in 2007 it ranged from 7.30 to 7.90 euros , and in 2008 from 7.80 to 8.30 euros ^[48] .
• In 2007, 351 pocket thefts were registered - 99 less than in 2006 ^[49] .
• The volume of music in tents up to 18 hours should not exceed 85 decibels . ^[49]
• 18 transformers and 43 kilometers of electric cable are used to supply the holiday with electricity.
• Energy consumption is approximately 3 million kilowatt-hours , which corresponds to approximately 13% of Munich’s daily electricity consumption.
• Beer tent consumes more than 400 kilowatt-hours, large attractions - about 300.
• To provide tents with gas , a four-kilometer network of gas pipes was laid.
• 200 thousand cubic meters of gas are consumed by kitchens and another 20 thousand are spent on heating beer gardens located outdoors ^{[50] [51]} .
• The volume of beer sold in a mug should not differ from 1 liter by more than a tenth. The observance of this rule is monitored by the special society “Verein gegen betrügerisches Einschenken”. ^[49]
• For visitors, 830 toilets equipped with conventional toilet bowls and urinalas with a total length of 750 meters are open. For disabled people there are 17 specially equipped toilets. ^[46]

Medical care

The Bavarian Red Cross is in charge of medical support at the festival. In the service center they use premises of 750 m², as well as two auxiliary medical service points located in containers on the holiday territory. Medical care for patients is provided by up to 100 volunteer attendants and up to 10 doctors . Up to 5 bed and 12 sedentary patients can be served simultaneously. There are also 3 additional rooms for patients who do not need to continue treatment at the clinic, but cannot be released immediately. These patients are constantly monitored by a doctor. For those who have drunk excessive amounts of alcohol, there is a special room with 15 beds where such patients come to their senses. On hot days, extra beds are installed. There is even a small operating room in the service center to provide immediate medical assistance ^[52] .

During the Oktoberfest in 2006, the Red Cross provided medical care to 3,505 patients, and another 5,903 visitors received light help (such as the provision of headache tablets or a patch). 794 patients were brought to the clinic. 570 of the so-called "beer corpses" ( German Bierleichen ) was brought to life ^[53] .

Oktoberfest Security

Bavarian police are responsible for security at the Oktoberfest, supporting a special police station in the service center, which employs up to 300 police officers. On the holiday territory there are 15 surveillance cameras installed , with the help of which the security service monitors possible offenses . In 2008, 1,405 offenses were registered, the police responded to calls or intervened 1,975 times ^[54] . During the so-called Italian Weekend ( italienerwochenende ), the Bavarian police are supported by their colleagues from South Tyrol , who speak both Italian and German. Their task is to calm the drunken Italian visitors of the holiday, who often respond more adequately to calls for calm and clarification in their native language. However, the Italian police have no right to use force. If necessary, they call Bavarian colleagues ^[55] .

Oktoberfest for families

• Every Tuesday until 6 pm, the so-called Family Day ( German Familientag ) is held with reduced prices for attractions , food, etc. ^[48]
• Children under 6 may stay in beer tents only until 8:00 pm ^[56] .
• After 20:00, children from 6 to 16 years can be in the Oktoberfest only accompanied by adults ^[57] .
• Baby strollers are allowed on the holiday until 18:00, on Saturday the passage with them is prohibited completely. ^[56]
• For families with children, there is a so-called family square ( German Familienplatz ), where there are attractions for the youngest children, pony rides , food and drinks that meet children's needs, tables and benches for children and parents to rest. ^[56]
• There is also a special parking for baby strollers and a baby changing room. ^[56]
• More than fifty years at the Oktoberfest, the Bavarian Red Cross has organized a point for the collection of lost children. Children waiting for parents are supervised by several social workers who are assisted by members of the youth Red Cross. For children there are a large number of toys; there is also an opportunity for changing children, a microwave for warming baby food and comfortable chairs ^[58] .

Smoking at Oktoberfest

In accordance with the Bavarian law on the protection of non-smokers, since 2009, smoking in beer stalls should be prohibited, and smoking areas should be provided for smokers. Already in 2008 , when an exception to this law was made for Oktoberfest, the owner of the Kalbs-Kuchl tent banned smoking in his establishment ^[59] .

Weather during Oktoberfest

In 1872, the Oktoberfest was postponed from mid-October to an earlier date: the end of September - the beginning of October. ^[6] For this period, Indian summer is in central Europe - a warmer and more sunny time, favorable for visitors to the holiday ^[60] . The average maximum daily temperature in September is 19 ° C. ^[61] In some years, the air temperature may reach summer values ​​(for example, in 2003 , at the beginning of Oktoberfest, the maximum daily temperature was around 30 ° C ^[62] ). In other years, relatively cold weather was observed, during which it is uncomfortable to stay outside the premises - tents. So, in 2004, the weather during the holiday was rainy and cold, which reduced the flow of visitors by 400,000 people, and the amount of beer drunk - by 10%, ^[63] and in 2008 the temperature did not exceed 16-17 ° C, it was damp and overcast, in some places drizzling rain. According to the head of the organizing committee of the holiday, Gabriele Weisheuptl, this was the coldest Oktoberfest in her memory. ^[64]

Problems

One of the problems of the modern Oktoberfest is the excessive use of alcohol , in particular, brought to the festival by its visitors. This problem is particularly affected by young people, who are often not ready to buy expensive enough beer and prefer to bring cheap and strong alcoholic beverages with them ^[65] . The result of excessive alcohol consumption is the so-called "beer corpses" ^[66] . They are collected in the tent of the Red Cross and there they lead ^[67] .

Stealing beer mugs

In recent years, the theft of beer mugs ( which is a criminal offense ) has acquired such proportions that it can already be called the most popular sport at Oktoberfest ^[68] . For this reason, security personnel can check any suspicious visitors, if they have not carried the circles out of the tents. In 2004, 210,000 thefts of mugs were prevented in this way ^[69] .

However, you can buy mugs absolutely legally in souvenir shops, which is recommended for tourists. .

Oktoberfest is best served by public transport . The main reason is the almost complete lack of parking space ^[70] . Thanks to the well-developed Munich subway, the Teresa meadow can be reached directly from several stations.

The closest (directly to the holiday) Theresienwiese station of the U4 and U5 lines at peak hours may be hopelessly crowded. It is also possible to get to Oktoberfest from Götheplatz stations or Poccistrasse lines U3 and U6 . From the main station to the meadows you can walk (about 12 minutes) or take any city ​​electric train to Hackerbrücke station and from there on foot (about 10 minutes) ^[71] .

Oktoberfest is widely known throughout the world, and many mistakenly believe that it was Oktoberfest that initiated such holidays. In fact, the Munich Oktoberfest is a relatively young holiday of this kind, and the traditions of folk festivals are more than a thousand years old. Volksfests have long been held in all major, as well as in very many small cities in Germany. The oldest of the folk festivals held regularly until now is the Libori Fest in the city of Paderborn . The mention of Libori is first found in written sources of 836 years. Other well-known folk festivals since ancient times: Llußfest in Bad Hersfeld (852), Hustener Kirmes in Arnsberg-Husten (ca. 900), Talmarkt in Bad Wimpfen (965), Domvay in Verden (985 year).

• The main competitor of Oktoberfest is the Stuttgart Cannstatter Volksfest ( Cannstatter Volksfest ), which takes place at about the same time and attracts about 4.5 million people. It is considered ^{[72] the} second largest holiday in the world of this kind.
• Other major holidays of this kind are: Kranger Kirmes in the city of Herne and Bremer Freimarkt in Bremen (both with 4.4 million visitors each), Graeste Kirmes am Rhein in Dusseldorf (4.3 million visitors).
• Oktoberfest is also celebrated in Kitchener, Canadian Ontario . It is the first holiday outside Germany with such a name and attracts 800,000 visitors ^{[73] [74]} .

• Oktoberfest is held in Brazil in the city of Blumenau ( Santa Catarina ), which is visited annually by about 650,000 people ^{[75] [76]} .
• In the US, Oktoberfests are held in many cities. For example, in Cincinnati with 500,000 visitors or in Tulsa with 200,000 visitors ^[77] .
• Moscow also hosts Oktoberfests held in various restaurants. Since 1999, Paulaner Oktoberfest has been held, which in 2008 lasted from September 13 to October 5 and was organized by the Russian Tradition Group, ^[78] or Oktoberfest, organized by Germanika together with the RNP Group of restaurants, which took place from September 20 on October 5, 2008 ^[79] . In addition, in the early 2000s, beer festivals were held in Luzhniki. In 2015, the Russian-German Chamber of Commerce together with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Moscow for the first time organized the Oktoberfest on the territory of the embassy, ​​accessible to the general public ^[80] . Oktoberfest on the territory of the German Embassy in Moscow has become a good tradition. In 2017, it will be held from September 14th to 16th for the third time. ^[81]
• In Kiev , at the Spartak stadium, since 2003, its Oktoberfest has also been held. The holiday was held in two large tents with the participation of the German brass band . Representatives of the German Embassy were invited to the opening. ^{[82] [83]} Since 2009, this tradition has been lost; the festival was planned to be held from October 8 to October 10, 2010. ^[84] .
• In the popular MMO-game World of Warcraft for two weeks, starting from the last days of September, the Brewfest festival takes place, the basis for which was the Oktoberfest. Throughout the celebration, many contests take place, the heroes are asked to complete tasks and, most importantly, try different beers produced by the most skilled Azeroth brewers. And of course, you can become a member of the Beer of the Month club and always have the opportunity to purchase the best and freshest beer ^[85] .

• N.I. Yakubova, A.V. Petrochenkov, F.G. Patrunov. Munich. Oktoberfest. Guide to action. - M .: Around the World, 2008. - 166 p. - ISBN 978-5-98652-196-1 ..
• A.V. Petrochenkov . Bavarian beer. - M .: LLC Zhigulsky Publishing House, 2008. - 160 p. - ISBN 978-5-902617-43-3 .
• A.V. Petrochenkov . Beer. Guidebook - M .: Zhigulsky Publishing House (Business To Business Sales Group BBC LLC), 2003. - 304 p. - ISBN 5-93679-038-X .
• A.V. Petrochenkov . Beer: Travel Guide - M .: Publisher BBPG, 2009. - 336 p. - ISBN 978-5-93679-099-7 .
• Maria von Welser , Munich Oktoberfest, Bummel-Verlag, Munich 1982. - ISBN 3-88781-004-X .
• 175 [Hundertfünfundsiebzig] Jahre Oktoberfest: 1810-1985, herausgegeben von der Landeshauptstadt München, zusammengestellt von Richard Bauer u. Fritz Fenzl, Bruckmann-Verlag, München 1985. - ISBN 3-7654-2027-1 .
• Reiner Stolte : Die Geschichte vom Munich Oktoberfest - The History of the Munich Oktoberfest. Comic, Herbert-Utz-Verlag, München 2004. - ISBN 3-8316-1168-8 .

• The official website of the city of Munich about Oktoberfest (in Russian)
• Oktoberfest Pictures
• oktoberfest.de - Beer Festival Site - Oktoberfest (in English and German)
• The main beer festival Photo report Deutsche Welle
• Oktoberfest: Instructions for use with illustrations
• Oktoberfest website (in Russian)